Saturday, March 28, 2009

As I work in the local Wal-Mart, sweeping the floors, I scan the shelves. I do this to remind myself where the merchandise is. This is to be useful to our customers when they ask where something is. Besides, it's more interesting than simply staring at white tile for hours at a time. During my meandering, recently, I happened to hit the cereal aisle. And there on the shelf were the latest offerings from Kellogg's. Cereal boxes with ugly, bland panels down the front of the boxes announcing Earth Month.

I got news for Kellogg's: I won't be purchasing any items publicizing yet another Eco-Scam. Maybe this is good PR for your company, but I haven't fallen for the scam. But they did remind me that Earth Hour was here, and the Leftist, Capitalist-hating MSM were once again shilling for their masters. Each time one of these celebrations arises we are inundated with puff-pieces proclaiming the importance of the event, how truly compassionate the organizers are, how saintly all who observe the special moment will be.

Screw them! All of it is based on the same scam - Human-induced Global Warming/Climate Change. All of it is phony, but it sells. And it convinces the poor-thinking that they can help save Mother Earth if they just turn off their lights for an hour! Once a year! Whoo-Boy!

And you know that the elite Leftists who shill for these morons will still have their TVs going, their video-games running, their other appliances humming along. But, by cracky! if the "masses" turn off their lights off an hour, all will be well. Another canapé, my Dear?

Let's take a look at how Earth Hour has worked in the recent past, shall we? It ain't just the Eco-Moonbats in the USA that fall for this garbage. From Sri Lanka comes this Astronomy site of the Sri Lankan Astronomical Association, which reminds us of last year's Earth Hour:

Earth Hour

Millions of people in cities across the U.S. and around the globe turned their lights off for one hour on Saturday, March 29, 2008 to make an unprecedented and highly visible global statement in support for action on climate change, energy conservation and light pollution. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world's largest conservation organization, which organized and coordinated the inaugural global event reports that an estimated 36 million Americans took part in Earth Hour. According to a survey by Zogby International, approximately 16 percent of the U.S. adult population reported taking part in Earth Hour and 78 percent were aware of the event, which took place globally in more than 400 cities in 35 countries across all 7 continents. During the week leading up to the event, there were more than 6.2 million unique visitors to the www.EarthHourUS.org website.

Beyond the four official US flagship cities of Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco, WWF estimates that more than 100 cities and towns across the nation took part in the event, including Miami, Denver, Honolulu, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and St. Louis and many others. Iconic landmarks in the US going dark included the Golden Gate Bridge, Sears Tower, Empire State Building, Coca-Cola billboard in Times Square, Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta), US Airways Arena (Phoenix), Alcatraz and others turned off their lights to symbolize the need to take action on climate change.

World Wildlife Fund is already gearing up to bring even more people, cities, and organizations for next year's Earth Hour on March 28, 2009 from 8:30-9:30 pm during IYA. Meg Pearce, director of Earth Hour USA, convinced the worldwide Earth Hour staff that postponing Earth Hour by a half an hour during IYA would include more of the population invested in preserving dark skies. (The skies are still bright at 8pm for the population located on the western edges of timezones.) The collaboration between Earth Hour and the IYA Dark Skies Cornerstone Project is a natural connection and requires no funding. Not only does the Earth Hour program allow the public to see the dark skies from the cities, it also helps conserve energy. It will give families a chance to walk out their door to see the stars, realize how much light pollution there is, find out from the Earth Hour website how much energy and money is wasted and at the same time, spark a child's imagination. [yeah, indoctrinate them when they're still young and impressionable!]

[...]

(emphasis mine)

Ahhh, yet another Eco-scam, and another one that didn't prove effective in anything but brain-washing the usual percentage of mental midgets. From Australia - 2007 - is this simple proof.

The above pictured chart demonstrates that during the "Earth Hour" itself, Sydney used around the same amount of electricity as it had the two nights of similar levels of electricity use at the same time.

However, "Earth Hour" spectacularly caused a massive spike in electricity use in the two hours preceding the "Earth Hour" revealing the whole concept to be little more than a public relations scam and a contributor to global warming. Presumably this occurred as people brought forward the electricity using activities they had wanted to avoid during "Earth Hour."

The electric consumption barely changed during Earth Hour last year, while it rose greatly for the two hours preceding Earth Hour. This is similar to a Commie waving an American Flag. Good show for the Leftist Media, and "proof" to the perpetually silly that the Commie is a loyal American and not a bloodthirsty Communist. In reality, it's all for show.

Do we really want our Nation, our world, to be as technologically-challenged, or impoverished as North Korea? In North Korea, that Worker's Paradise, Earth Hour is continual, running for decades. The ruling elite is, certainly, exempted from such mundane things. It's the people of North Korea who shiver in the cold, squint in the darkness, and starve to death under the Tyranny of Communism. The North Korean people have no choice in the matter, indeed, they have no voice.

Which is what the Leftists in power in the USA would love to see happen here. So why not take a small, snarky stand against the bringers of Darkness? Before the Block Snitches report you to the OFA. Take the Red State Pledge and turn on all your lights from 8:30PM to 9:30PM tonight. "Let there be Light!" as Maggie reminds us, at The Climate Scam.

"I do solemnly swear that I will honor Earth Hour by turning on every light in my residence at 8:30 p.m. on March 28, 2009, for one hour. God said, "Let there be light." Who are we to argue?"

"Earth Hour is not about the environment. Global warming is not about the environment. Climate change is not about the environment.

I want each and everyone of you that think global warming is real to go stand in front of a mirror. Now, take a good hard look. When was the last time the person you see in the mirror actually questioned, I mean really questioned what you were told to believe.

Turn off the TV, don't listen to the radio, don't read a newspaper for two weeks. Now, take those two weeks and ask yourself why you haven't asked any hard questions about the people who keep screaming global warming at you.

What do they want from you? Even if the world was in peril, it's not, what could you do?, nothing, that's what. So why do they keep telling you that saving the world is your responsibility. What the hell do they want from you? . Your Freedom "

More on the OFA here, here, and here. Imagine the outrage had a Republican President been involved in just such a Fascist/Communist activity? Hmmph! You have a voice! Make sure it is heard!

Friday, March 20, 2009

From American Thinker, Gregory Young posts, "The Cure for Global Warming Alarmists" with this reminder of how dead-on George Carlin could be. In one of the late Comedian's final appearances, Carlin lampoons the alarmists.

"Indeed, the authors purposely fail to mention that their proposal puts humanity on a fast-track extinction curve, as reproduction rates fall below population replacement rates. Surely, as statisticians they know this well. Within a few generations, there wouldn’t be any one around to measure, least wise care, about carbon emissions. We would all be dead.

But golly, we would save the planet! Just goes to show you, Liberals are all about death and destruction. They absolutely live for it!

I’ve got a thought, why not have liberals first show us how it’s done…. Go ahead liberals -- take the lead in this thing. Limit your own population first, and the rest of us might, “maybe,” consider what you have to say."

It always amazes me to discover just what level of incompetence we Americans manage to reach in our public officials. Perhaps it shouldn't amaze, but it does. As technologically advanced a nation as we are, our electorate can still put into public office people whose mental capacities are on a level with a door knob. And we then expect these same nitwits to make laws regarding matters of scientific importance, not to mention simple matters of social behavior.

Loser of the weekLarcenia Bullard. The Democratic state senator from Miami has a penchant for eye-rolling statements, but she outdid herself when discussion about the bestiality bill included mention of animal husbandry. "People are taking these animals as their husbands? … So that maybe was the reason the lady was so upset about that monkey?" Bullard asked, referring to a Connecticut woman mauled by a pet chimpanzee. Doh!

Miami has had its share of oddballs elected to office. The knack of Miami politicians, and police, to receive Federal Indictments is sometimes staggering, though it has never reached the stratospheric heights of Chicago. We all remember the murder, and drug charges filed against Miami police, don't we? Still, Miami has never quite managed to pull off the kind of shining moment of idiocy that State Senator Bullard managed.

Fact is, she even found herself on Keith Olbermann's plate for dissection. Just how silly does a Democrat have to be to get pilloried by the High Priest Of Democrat Worship?

In case you think that maybe Ms. Bullard is simply poorly educated, I might add that she is a college graduate. Her Florida Senate Bio includes: Nova University, M.S., 1991, Antioch University, B.A., 1973, not to mention an A.A. at Temple University in '71. That could mean anything, I admit, but then you have to wonder how she could graduate without any inkling of what 'animal husbandry' is. Did I mention that she's been a teacher, too?

Yep, a teacher and a school administrator, not to mention an educational consultant, and a "community activist"! Wow! All that education and she still has no clue what is meant by animal husbandry? That doesn't speak well of our teachers, now does it? And this is a State that is heavily agricultural, and was once one of the largest cattle producers in the nation. Indeed, Bullard is Vice Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Oy!

Now, to give credit, Bullard is not always lost, though she does have an odd idea of just what is important to the electorate in times of economic turmoil - brought to you by her own Democratic Party. From Michael Peltier: And now for the important stuff on March 1st of this year, we discover:

As lawmakers prepare to return for what is expected to be a budget crunching (or is that crushing) session, let's not forget that lawmakers also have other important work to do.[...]Why not, for example, spread a little credit where it's due. Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami, has offered a pair of resolutions to honor our progenitors. SB 296 and SB 298 call on the Florida Senate to formally honor mothers and fathers around the state.

"The highest ideals and noblest principles of humanity find their most exemplary expression in the sacrifice and devotion of mothers, and no sincere human being can deny the importance of a mother in the life of a child," Bullard says of Florida moms.

Bullard also sends kudos to Florida dads. "American tradition of a productive society and a secure home has depended in great part on the hard work and sacrifice of fathers who tirelessly seek for their children a better life and greater opportunity than they themselves have known." Bullard's bill proclaims.

Wow! Who knew?

And Ms. Bullard gets re-elected, time and again. First the State House, then the State Senate.

By all accounts, Larcenia Bullard is a nice woman, full of pleasant ideas - who else would have pushed so hard to get Key Lime Pie designated Florida's State Pie? - and good intentions. But is that enough for elective office? Aren't we seeing just how dangerous it is for good-intentioned, uninformed or clueless people to be elected to office? And aren't we seeing the very apex of that dangerous action with the elevation of the inexperienced, good-intentioned, Community Activist, Barry "O"?

And just in case you think I'm being rather mean, let's not forget that the Bullard's have made Florida elective office their family business. Senator Bullard's son Dwight M. Bullard was elected to the State House in 2008. Her husband - not to be confused with animal husbandry - Edward B. "Ed" Bullard, served in the State House from 2000 to 2008. Young Dwight has taken the seat his father left due to term limits. Nice, huh?

How much longer can we afford all these terribly nice, utterly incompetent people?

Friday, March 13, 2009

RTN, the Retro Television Network, is one of the fun things that I discovered once I got my converter box to be able to continue receiving broadcast television. The Wal-Mart store where I work announced to all the Associates that the switch to digital from analog was going to happen, and there would be government-issued coupons to mediate the cost of the boxes.

I don't watch enough television to justify paying for cable - not even for basic cable! - but I do still watch some. So I followed the instructions the Store Manager gave us, went to the government website, and ordered the coupons - two of them, since I have two TVs - and they came in the mail fairly soon. No, I didn't wait until the last minute and whine that there wasn't enough time. Losers!

Meanwhile the local stations have already added some digital stations, so, for example, our PBS station, which is on channel 3, now has four stations: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 3.4! Some of the programming is interesting, some is a bore - do we really need all day programming of the Florida Legislature?

Anyway, a few weeks back I found one local station was no longer airing yet another digital weather channel - good Lord! How many weather channels do ya need? - but had added the RTN channel. The Retro Television Network! Cool Beans!

Now, the website is one of the crappier efforts I've seen, but the broadcast offerings are nostalgia to the Nth degree!

Among the things I found was Adam-12, Dragnet, Kojak (Who loves ya, Baby?), and a lot more. But two shows brought back some fun memories: The Rockford Files, and Magnum, PI. Those two had recurring guest stars who I fell in love with. Okay, so they're TV crushes, but so what?

The Rockford Files, which starred James Garner, was a funny, action-filled series following the exploits of an ex-con Private Investigator named James Rockford. It turns out that this very successful TV series cheated Garner out of his share of the profits by the use of funny accounting. A shame, and the idiots who played games with the numbers should have been jailed. But I digress, as is my wont.

One of the recurring characters on The Rockford Files was the attorney Beth Davenport, played by the lovely Gretchen Corbett. Corbett appeared in 32 episodes of the Rockford Files, even though some were merely for a scene or two. Corbett was lovely, smart, talented, and I got a crush on her!

As Wiki reports:

"... Corbett joined the series as a recurring regular to portray his beleaguered lawyer and sometime lover. Corbett left the series at the end of the fourth season over a salary dispute, though Corbett herself was not looking for more money: the dispute was between the show's producers and Universal (who owned Corbett's contract as a contract player). Corbett went on to do quite a bit of other television, eventually returning to play Davenport again in the Rockford Files TV movies of the 1990s."

Funny how the money boys at the production company were messing with the books very early on, huh?

Gretchen Corbett has done films, TV, and theater, and this image from around 2007 shows she's still smokin'! Can you blame me for having a crush on her?

Anyway, I watch some Rockford Files, now, and get some nostalgic jollies. It's better fare than a lot of televised programs these days!

Some lawyer Cheesecake!

Along with The Rockford Files there's Magnum, PI, which starred Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, former Naval Intelligence officer turned Private Investigator. Takes place in Hawaii, so there's a lot of pretty scenery, with loads of action, and some very smart, funny dialogue. And there's also the recurring character of Assistant District Attorney Carol Baldwin. Baldwin is played by Kathleen Lloyd (the original Baldwin was played by Maureen McCormick) in 21 episodes. Actually 20, as Lloyd's first appearance on the show was as Bridget Archer. Anyway, Kathleen Lloyd is one of those actresses who remind you of the Girl Next Door one moment, and raise your blood pressure the next.

Both of these shows had something interesting: smart, successful, pretty women as recurring characters. Nothing sleazy about them. And they were possible love interests to the main characters. Lloyd had a recurring role in quite a few shows through the years. But it was on the Magnum, PI show that I fell in love with her. And can you blame me? Look at her! What does that smile say to you?

Oh, my! I always wished she'd been used more often in the show. Her character has this tough lawyer front, but then Lloyd imbues Baldwin with such a sweetness 'out of the office' that you are simply in love with her. Well, I was, anyway!

Both shows - The Rockford Files, and Magnum, PI had a long list of familiar faces appearing in guest roles, and some new faces that went on to some success after the shows. And, of course, many actresses of great beauty adorned these productions week after week.

But for me, these two lovely actresses were my only TV crushes. *sigh*

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Blue Spring Run is a pretty place. I found it while doing a morning search for "Spring" following a quick search for "Moose". How did I go from one to the other? That, Folks, is where our minds differ! Hah!

Anyway, Blue Spring Run is within the confines of Blue Spring State Park, which is in Volusia County on the east, Atlantic coast of Florida, north of Orlando. It is part of the Florida State Parks department, and one of the decent investments of taxpayer money. Nobody wants to see pavement from horizon to horizon. Not in Florida!

The spring was visited by botanist John Bartram in 1766. Later on, the park was acquired by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (1972) to kick-start its Manatee Protection Program.

is located in Volusia County, Fla., two miles west of Orange City and adjacent to the St. Johns River. The park encompasses 2,483 acres of land with a variety of ecological habitats, including Blue Spring and Blue Spring Run. The spring and run have an estimated area of four acres and a length of 2,336 feet from the upper edge of the spring boil pool to the point of confluence with the St. Johns River.

Blue Spring is a first magnitude spring, meaning that it has a long-term average flow of at least 100 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 65 million gallons per day (mgd). Blue Spring and Blue Spring Run are classified as Class III waters by the state of Florida, meaning their designated use is for public recreation and the propagation and maintenance of healthy populations of fish and wildlife. The spring and run are also designated as “Outstanding Florida Waters” because they are located within a state park.

Water quality in the spring and run is characteristic of its source, the Floridan aquifer, exhibiting high water clarity, high dissolved solids, little or no oxygen, and stable temperature. The spring water remains at a nearly constant temperature of 73° Fahrenheit (°F) or 23° Celsius (°C).

Blue Spring is internationally famous as a winter, warmwater refuge for the endangered West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris). The manatee is a tropical to subtropical species adapted to warm water that, in Florida, is at the northern edge of its geographical range. Due to their low metabolism, manatees have difficulty withstanding cold conditions and, therefore, they need to find a warmwater refuge during cold weather. Blue Spring is the only large naturally occurring manatee warmwater refuge on Florida’s east coast for the St. Johns River manatee population. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has designated the spring and run as critical manatee habitat.

Manatees seek refuge in the warmer waters of Blue Spring Run when the temperature of the river drops below 68°F (20°C). Manatees typically begin congregating in the spring run in November and leave in March. The period between November 1 and March 31 is referred to as the “manatee season.” Manatee use of Blue Spring Run as a winter, warmwater refuge has increased dramatically since 1978, when routine manatee counts began. Based on counts performed for daily surveys, the maximum number of manatees observed on a single day has increased nearly seven-fold, from 28 in 1978 to 182 during the 2005 manatee season.

During the manatee season, manatees congregate in the spring run immediately upstream of the point where the cold, dark St. Johns River water meets the warmer, clear spring water. Where the spring water mixes with the St. Johns River, water clarity drops due to the relatively high dissolved color (tannic acid) in the river. This interface is referred to as the dark water intrusion, and is easily seen by the casual observer.

It's kind of funny, if you think about it. Manatees are doing fairly well in Florida. Partly because of official protection, but also because of places like power plants. The cleaned outflow of waste water from the plants is warm. And it attracts the manatees when the weather gets cold. They will travel quite a distance to find the power plant outflow so they can enjoy the warmth of the waters.

Eventually the Blue Spring Run empties into the St. John's River. So it goes from crystal clear to the brown of the river. The St, John's has a high content of tannic acid - natural, by the way! - which makes everything that sets in the water for any length of time start to turn brown.

In fact fossils discovered in the river bed tend to be a golden brown color, rather than white or gray. Yes, there is a lot of fossil digging going on in the state of Florida. Archaeology is alive and well in Florida.

I thought you might like to see some of the pretty areas of Florida. And this is certainly one of them! Have a great day!

Yeah, it's been awhile since I last posted here. I have been quite the busy feller. With two writing courses I am Mentoring it takes an act of will to pull back from reading the writing assignments of my fellow writers and go off on my own tangent.

What's to write about? After all, my blogging friends have been covering the destruction of the American economic system in great detail, tracking the humorlessness of Barry "O", watching Michael Steele reveal his lack of understanding of the Leftist MSM, and so on. I could add to the thunder, but I just don't have it in me.

Not yet!

Anyway, what sparked me this morning, aside from the bright sky, cool breezes, and whispering fragrances of the morning, was what a friend emailed to me. This is a reminder of many things, Folks. But most of all it's to let you all know that Spring is approaching. And with it warmer temperatures - happens every year, even though it surprises James Hansen and Al Gore each time - green growth, and animals on the move.

Kissed by a Wild Moose

Bill is standing on his back deck which is about two feet off of the ground. Bill is about six-foot one, and 250 lbs, so this Miss Moose is a fair sized critter.

Click on the image to get a better view!

Are you ready for the snow to melt and wash away? Ready to put away the Parkas and mukluks? It's coming! And the sky won't fall, the Polar Bears won't pass into extinction, and we won't see New York City flooded to the tenth-story of every building by the rise of the Oceans. It will simply get warmer as it's done for millennia past.